The New England Patriots ruled out just one player prior to their wild-card matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Khyiris Tonga (foot) was ruled out on Friday, as shared by head coach Mike Vrabel.

Kayshon Boutte (hamstring), Harold Landry III (knee) and Thayer Munford Jr. (knee) are questionable. TreVeyon Henderson, who missed the final practice of the week for personal reasons, does not have a designation and will be available.

It’s been a busy week with regard to injuries/illnesses at One Patriot Place…

Garrett Bradbury, Morgan Moses, Vederian Lowe and Anfernee Jennings all missed time with illnesses, while...

A Los Angeles Chargers staffer could audition for a new job against the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

Drake Maye will face one of his toughest tests of the season when the Patriots face the Chargers’ fifth-ranked defense in the first-round playoff matchup. Josh McDaniels will lead his offense into Gillette Stadium against a defensive guru garnering head coaching interest.

Two teams have submitted requests to interview Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter for their head-coaching vacancies. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Titans asked the Chargers to speak to him, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was among several reporters to...

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs had his request to postpone his arraignment granted by a judge, as shared by WCVB on Friday.

Diggs is now scheduled to be arraigned in Dedham District Court on Feb. 23 — two weeks after the Super Bowl — instead of the previously scheduled date of Jan. 23.

Diggs is facing a felony criminal charge as a result of an incident in which allegedly “tried to choke” his female private chef over a paycheck dispute on Dec. 2.

David Meier, the veteran wide receiver’s lawyer, released the following statement on his behalf:

“Stefon...

The New England Patriots enjoyed extraordinary injury luck for the first three months of the year. Unfortunately, with the latest possible bye on the NFL schedule, Patriots starters began breaking down in November.

The Patriots lost rookie offensive linemen Will Campbell and Jared Wilson in the same game when the Patriots beat the Cincinnati Bengals on the road 26-20.

Wilson’s injury was thought to be less significant at the time, but it was 21 full days before he saw the field again.

The very next week, he suffered a concussion on “Sunday Night Football” that kept him sidelined for the...

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs has had his request to postpone his arraignment granted by a judge, according to court records.

Diggs is now scheduled to be arraigned in Dedham District Court on Feb. 13 — five days after the Super Bowl — instead of the previously scheduled Jan. 23 date.

Diggs is facing charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery stemming from an alleged incident on Dec. 2. According to a police report, Diggs is accused of choking and slapping his personal female chef over a money dispute.

His attorney, David Meier, denied...

The Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs is notoriously chaotic and difficult to predict, especially since the postseason expanded to 14 teams in 2020. More teams and more games mean more upsets and more craziness.

For the New England Patriots, Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers will be their first playoff game in four years and their first postseason game at home in six years. It will also be the first career playoff game for Drake Maye, Will Campbell, Christian Gonzalez, TreVeyon Henderson and other Patriots stars.

Meanwhile, the Chargers are back in the postseason for the second...

For all their success, do the New England Patriots need a playoff win to validate their breakout season?

The Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers as AFC East champions after a 14-3 campaign under Mike Vrabel. Despite tying the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks for the NFL’s best record, some critics remain convinced the Patriots are merely a byproduct of a favorable schedule.

Robert Spillane was asked Friday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” if he feels the Patriots need at least one postseason victory to prove their legitimacy. The linebacker had to collect himself before getting too riled up....

The New England Patriots are gearing up for their home playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and their rookies have played a huge role in getting them to that position.

While Will Campbell, Jared Wilson and TreVeyon Henderson have made a huge impact, Elijah Ponder has also played a huge role. The undrafted free agent has played in 15 games this season after earning a spot on the team in training camp.

He had four sacks in the regular season and recovered two fumbles as well. Outside linebackers coach Mike Smith had high praise for him after seeing him...

One group of NFL personnel conveyed confidence in the New England Patriots beginning the playoffs with a first-round win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Athletic’s Jeff Howe polled NFL coaches and executives to pick the winner of each wild-card game. All 10 predicted a Patriots victory, joining the Los Angeles Rams as the only unanimous selections.

One anonymous head coach declared that the Patriots are “too good at the line of scrimmage.”

“If there was any doubt about whether the Patriots are back, this panel put that to rest,” Howe wrote. “Opposing coaches and executives have long admired coach...

TEAM TALK

• Patriots-Chargers updated Injury Report.
• Roster Moves: T Sebastian Gutierrez has been re-signed to the practice squad and CB Miles Battle has been released from the practice squad.
• Mike Dussault’s Three to Watch: Patriots vs. Chargers Wild Card playoff preview.
• Evan Lazar dives inside the Patriots turnaround on the Offensive Line this season.
• Press Conferences: Josh McDaniels – Jeremy Springer – Kayshon Boutte, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Austin Hooper.
• Wild Card Game Preview: Mike Dussault and Evan Lazar scout the matchups between the Pats and Chargers. (12 min. video)
• Patriots Unfiltered on TV:...

You can look at volume statistics, efficiency metrics or advanced analytics, in the passing game or against the run, and you will get the same result: the Los Angeles Chargers defense has been one of the best in the NFL during the regular season.

Naturally, the group highlighted by Pro Bowl safety Derwin James will present a challenge for the New England Patriots come Sunday night’s wild card playoff game. Why exactly is it that, though? As was broken down by Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on Thursday, there are a variety of reasons for that.

Usually, we try to...

New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins finally got some good news on Thursday.

Hollins was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 27, which came several weeks after being fined for unnecessary roughness on a play where there was no penalty during his club’s win over the New York Jets on Nov. 13.

It’s been a rough couple of months, but the veteran wide receiver saw things start to turn just a few days prior to his club’s wild-card matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The NFL rescinded the fine of $20,278, as shared by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Hollins could...